The MINI Cooper S Clubman is a sleek and practical oddball with six doors

MINI Malaysia has just dropped the new MINI Clubman on our roads, and it looks even hotter than before. And it has to do with that colour — the Summer Indian Red — that changes its hue under different lighting conditions. Actually, to heck with that, the colour changes even as you walk around the car.

Of course, there are five other colours to choose from, but all pale in comparison. Wouldn’t you want a MINI that shifts its hue from of orange to grapefruit to grapefruit juice, as if an invisible hand is Photoshopping the car? Thought so.

To be honest, the Clubman doesn’t need colour to stand out solely for the fact that there are no other cars quite like it. The Clubman has six doors — four are placed where they should be and two more in the rear — which does not make this car a hatchback. The rear doors open to 360 litres of space that can be expanded to 1,250 litres.

However, this wouldn’t be a proper facelift without giving its design a refreshing splash. New to the Clubman is the redrawn hexagonal grille that encompasses the entire bumper. Lighting the way are new LED headlights with a ring of white light that serves as DRLs and turn indicators. The grille and the circular headlights are framed in Piano Black.

This Clubman comes standard with the MINI Yours package, which is denoted by the badge on the C-pillar. The symbol is also on a very nice-looking MINI Yours British Spoke Two-tone 18-inch light-alloy wheels. If you’re wondering, the design of the wheels are the same as the Union Jack and the two colours are dark blue and silver.

Inside, the steering wheel and seats are wrapped in MINI Yours Walknappa Leather; more Union Jacks are found on the headrests. The lighting and ambience come courtesy of the MINI Yours Interior Styles illuminated in Frozen Blue, including the door bezels, the round cockpit bezel, cockpit trim and centre console trim. And, you’ll be resting your feet on MINI Yours floor mats.

Harman Kardon Sound System now pipes the music from the entertainment system, which includes Apple Carplay, through 12, 360-watt speakers. Concierge Service and MINI Online, among other features, are also included in the current MINI Connected App. The car also comes with a built-in 4G SIM technology that links you to the Intelligent Emergency Call and MINI TeleServices.

The MINI Clubman is priced at RM298,888 on-the-road, without insurance. The six-door car comes with the MINI 4 Years Unlimited Mileage Warranty with Free Scheduled Service. And, as an alternative to conventional hire purchase from banks, BMW Group Financial Services Malaysia offers Balloon Financing. With a 20 per cent down payment on a five-year tenure, you’ll be paying about RM3,418 per month.

Only the Cooper S variant is available for the MINI Clubman, which puts the more powerful 2.0-litre turbocharged engine under the hood. The mill produces 192hp and 280Nm, which goes through the new seven-speed Dual Clutch Sports transmission. The Clubman needs 7.2 seconds to reach 100kph from zero, and up to a top speed of 228kph.

If this configuration isn’t powerful enough for you, there’s always the John Cooper Works Clubman.